The industry also serves as a nexus connecting the often competing interests of wireless carriers, phone manufacturers, payments networks, merchant acquirers, card associations, point-of-sale technology providers, nonbanking payment solution providers, banks, and retailers. At stake is the transformation of the consumer wallet--and the control traditional payment players have historically had over it--as well as the possibility of new revenue streams generated by data analytics, advertising, and other value-added products and services, above and beyond merchant payment fee revenue.

Even with mobile payments still in its nascent stage, Packaged Facts expects U.S. remote and point-of-sale mobile payments volume to grow by 275% in 2013, a testament to the impact of current product rollouts and consumer uptake already underway.